


take my money (take my heart, too)

by SapphireAmethystPatch



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Bobby is Not Trevor Wilson, Everyone is 23-24 years old, F/F, F/M, Flarrie, M/M, No Smut, Slow Burn, This is too much fun, basically Luke is the most awkward sugar daddy ever and Julie feels bad for taking his money, for my gay little enby heart, idiots to lovers, juke, no sexual activities for money in this au!, rated teen for swearing and other semi-mature themes such as the concept of a sugar baby arrangement, she/they flynn, the sugar baby au no one asked for, willex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-22 14:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireAmethystPatch/pseuds/SapphireAmethystPatch
Summary: After griping about how expensive it is living in Los Angeles, Flynn convinces an apprehensive Julie to get a sugar daddy. Elsewhere, Sunset Curve is tired of a clingy Luke and encourages him to find someone, which leads to him finding a sugar baby.Or, Luke is the most awkward sugar daddy ever, and Julie feels bad for taking his money and is the most stingy sugar baby ever.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Carrie Wilson, Flynn/Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina & Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 43
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> just want to clear this up! this is /not/ going to be a 'sugar baby for sexual favors' kind of thing, it'll be more like a domestic relationship kind of thing? silly dates and movie cuddles! 
> 
> this story is dedicated to my best irl friend, Derpy Boy. he knows why. i ain't never gon stop loving you, bitch xoxo
> 
> enjoy :) <3

Julie is nervous. No, nervous is an understatement. Her knees bounce uncontrollably under the table, shaky fingers twirling the straw in her iced coffee. And the knot in her stomach seems to grow ever tighter. 

She pulls out her phone to check the time for the third time this minute. How is it  _ still _ 10:57 am? Just as she is about to put her phone back in her pocket, it buzzes with an incoming text from her best friend/roommate, Flynn. 

**_Flynn:_ ** _ calm down _

Julie smiles despite herself, turning around to look at her friend a few tables away. Thank goodness for her friend, willing to throw away a morning to make sure she is safe and comfortable on her blind date. She shoots Flynn a small smile. Flynn, to their credit, is taking their job very seriously, wearing an absurdly large sunhat and sunglasses, sipping on a mug of hot tea with a decoy book under her nose. 

Julie turns to anxiously watch the baristas, moving around the small space with ease, mixing drinks hot and cold alike. Twirling around each other without even looking. And she lets her mind wander.

How had she gotten here? Waiting for a man whom she had never spoken to, let alone seen? And she isn’t counting their text messaging. Not really. Not even if they had been talking for weeks. Not even if they regularly stayed up well into the night just to keep talking to the other. Not even if he had her blushing furiously, toes curling from giddiness and hiding under her sheets, smiling at the flirtatious speech bubbles on her phone for longer than she’d like to admit.

Because that doesn’t count. She has never heard his voice. She has never seen what he looked like. Anyone could be a charmer, and she is undoubtedly nervous about who she might find walking through the door and towards  _ her _ . 

How had she gotten here? It is a simple question, and one she has the answer to. Doesn’t mean she likes it. She had made an offhand comment to Flynn at work one day. Julie is sick of working 12 hour days in the cafe (not this one. she would be dumb to meet a stranger in her workplace) and barely scraping by. She had joked she needed someone to fund her shopping sprees. 

Flynn had suggested a sugar daddy. 

Julie wants to bang her head on the table. Past Julie is an idiot. And now Present Julie is going to pay the price.

Why had she let Flynn convince her to download that dumb app? 

(Because she has a virtually useless college degree, bills to pay, and school loans creeping up on her and she is cutting back every month. Living in L.A. isn’t cheap.

And, if she really lets herself think about it, Julie is lonely.)

She checks her phone again, pleased to find it is finally 11 am. He should be here any minute.  _ Luke _ should be here any minute.

Is it a red flag that he had only been willing to share his first name? Should it have concerned her that he didn’t have a profile picture on his online dating account? Is she dumb for letting him change the subject every time she asked about his job? Solid ‘maybe’s to all of those, but! After they had started talking, they had instantly clicked. He loves music almost as much as she did, maybe even more. They bonded over that, and many other things. 

This is fine.

She straightens her posture, glancing down at her dress to make sure all is in order. It’s baby blue with golden sunflowers all over, and she had slipped a cropped denim jacket on top, the one with patches of all her favorite bands. She fusses with the loose curls hanging by her face, her hair pulled into a half bun at the top of her head, leaving a clear view of her sunflower earrings. It’s the perfect outfit to be noticed in, she had told him she’d be wearing blue and sunflowers, certainly he wouldn’t miss her.

Whenever he decided to show up.

Wait. he would show up, wouldn’t he?

Of course he would. 

...Right?

Before she can get too far down that rabbit hole, the chime above the door is jingling, and Julie has to fight hard not to turn and see who it is. The anticipation crawls up her spine and settles in her neck, jaw tingling. 

A man comes in, approaching the counter with confidence in his step. One barista takes one look at him and gapes like a fish, turning to a coworker to nonchalantly point at him. Both girls look at each other and quietly squeal, letting one of the male cashiers help him. 

_ Must be attractive _ , she thinks, and she isn’t disappointed by what she can see from the back. His sleeves are short, showing off his muscular arms and he’s  _ tall _ . She’s always liked tall men.

Supposedly handsome stranger orders his drink and waits at the counter for it. One of the girls hands it to him with a gleeful smile. He accepts, then says something to her before the girl’s smile falters and points right at Julie. 

Wait, she’s pointing at Julie? 

_Definitely_ handsome stranger follows her finger and lands on Julie, eyes scanning up and down her body (at least, what he can see from above the table), his face instantly lighting up in the most gorgeous smile she’s ever seen. 

And then he’s turning back to say thank you and then making his way towards her and  _ oh no what what what _ \--

Because this isn’t her date. It can’t be, right? But Luke  _ Patterson _ is stepping up to her booth, sliding into the seat across from her.

“Hey, you’re Julie, right?” His voice, sweet and thick as honey, and Julie would know that voice  _ anywhere _ .

“Luke  _ Patterson _ ? You… you didn’t say--” She cuts herself off before she can say something foolish. 

Because there is no way in hell she’d unknowingly put up her sugar baby services to Luke  _ fucking _ Patterson. Not rockstar Luke Patterson. Not lead guitarist and singer and songwriter for her favorite band, Sunset Curve. Not  _ literally  _ in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame  _ Luke Patterson _ .

“Yeah, about that… I  _ am _ really sorry about not telling you. It’s just not something I like mentioning to everyone I meet, you know?”

She’s having a hard time processing what he’s saying. He’s so close. Why is he leaning on the table like that? Why is he so close?

“Yeah! Yeah, totally. That’s understandable.” She laughs nervously, taking a sip of her coffee to avoid speaking any further.

“This… this is okay, right? You’re not mad?”

“Mad?” This clears her mind a bit. She takes in the way his hands fiddle with the rings on his fingers, his shoulders raised, and while his smile is easygoing, his eyes say otherwise. Why would she be mad?

She expresses this to him, and he just looks at his hands. 

“Well, because I wasn’t completely truthful with you. And I totally understand if you want to walk away.”

“No!” She says before she can filter herself. His eyebrows raise in amusement. “I mean, it’s fine! I was just… surprised, that’s all.”

And surprised is correct. Luke  _ Patterson _ is the same Luke she’s been talking to for the last three weeks, the very same one who’s been making her laugh and who’d almost made her miss work last week because they had texted about everything and nothing until the sun came up.

He seems to like her answer. His smile never leaves his face. 

“You seemed to recognize me. You a fan of Sunset Curve’s?”

And maybe it’s the way his cocky smile burns her cheeks, or just the fact that he’s talking to her. Panic sets in and she lies.

“Never heard of Sunset Swerve.”

“You knew my name.”

“You know it’s a household name, right?”

“Your jacket says otherwise.”

And shit. She had forgotten about the Sunset Curve patch right over her heart. In fact, it was the first patch she had put on the jacket. But he doesn’t need to know that.

“Fine. You caught me. I’m a Curver. Happy?” 

And though she’s teasing, he couldn’t seem to be happier. Seriously, she’s worried his dopey grin is gonna break his face. Then an ugly, ugly thought rears its head in her mind.

“Wait. You let me gush about Sunset Curve  _ so _ many times and you didn’t  _ say _ anything?” Her sentence ends in a laugh. 

“Oh, Julie, I wanted to so bad. You have no idea!”

Julie finds herself not really registering the second half of his sentence. She had missed it, the first time he said her name due to being starstruck, and her face warms a bit when she recalls just how good her name had sounded when he said it. Like a splash of cool water on a hot day. Like sap dripping fresh from a tree, glinting in the sunlight. 

“Then why didn’t you?”

He sobers a bit at this, though his eyes still hold the same fire as before. “Well, I didn’t really want to go around announcing that. Can you imagine how many matches I’d get if I put that little tidbit in my bio?”

Julie laughs at this, the absurdity of it hitting her. Of course. He’d want someone who'd like him for him, not for his status, or name, or fame or money.

Oh.  _ Shit _ . She was  _ literally _ here for his money.

“For sure! Must’ve been hard.”

“Oh, not really. I matched with you on day one and deleted the app once we exchanged phone numbers.”

“Really?” Julie felt a little guilty for still having the app on her phone now, even after she was pretty sure Luke was a good match. There was still the possibility that mystery man was a total creep. If she’d have known who he was, on the other hand…

“Totally! I’ll be honest, my bandmates put me up to this, but once we started talking I just knew I had to meet you.”

Julie’s mind still feels a bit foggy, like she was dreaming. A fantastic dream, might she add.

“I’ve been really excited to meet you too. My best friend also convinced me to get the app. She’s actually over there.” Julie smiled, nudging her head over towards her friend, where they were certainly trying their best to eavesdrop.

“Brought a plus one, I see?” Luke chuckled, giving Flynn a wave. Flynn hid her already shielded eyes from view with her book.

“Hey, you gotta remember I was meeting someone whom I had never seen before, and the fact that I didn’t know your last name was not helping.”

Luke’s smile turned bashful again. “Ah. She’s backup.”

“Yep! But I think they’re good to go.” Julie whipped out her phone and sent Flynn a quick message, relieving her of her duties. 

“You sure? I might kidnap you.”

“I’d  _ let  _ you kidnap me.”

Oh god. She  _ so _ did not say that.

He seemed to think it was funny. At least she was amusing. At her own expense, maybe, but amusing nonetheless.

Amusing to Luke Patterson.

If she doesn’t stop saying his last name, she’ll go insane. This is just the dorky guy she’s been talking to. The one she’ll hopefully get to talk to tomorrow.

Despite the rocky start, Julie would say it was a successful date. Coffee turned into lunch at a nearby bistro, and he walked Julie to her car a few blocks away. She didn’t get to her apartment until after 4 o’clock, and Flynn was waiting with two glasses of wine in their shared living room. Julie is eager to spill all the details, and Flynn is the perfect listener, oohing and ahhing at all the right moments.

As Julie crawls into bed after her eventful day, her phone dings on her nightstand.

**_PayPal:_ ** _ Luke Patterson sent you $500.00 “I had a great time today :) hope to see you again soon!” _

Well. If she had calmed down any, this just undid all of her efforts. A wave of guilt floods over her. The concept of a sugar daddy sort of seemed too outlandish to really fathom. But now she feels awful taking his money. 

She’s really doing this, isn’t she?

**_Julie:_ ** _ you really didn’t have to _

**_Luke:_ ** _ but i wanted to  _

**_Luke:_ ** _ it’s ok tho right? _

**_Julie:_ ** _ i guess it’s fine, it’s just a lot of money  _

**_Luke:_ ** _ i realise how conceited this is going to sound but its no sweat off my back. just think of it as a gift _

Gifts. She could live with that.


	2. Chapter 2

When the guys suggest getting a sugar baby, Luke thinks they’re kidding. Who in their right mind gets a sugar baby? And especially him, since he is routinely in the tabloids for something or another. 

But they are adamant. Something about ‘always wallowing’ and ‘needing someone to love because Bobby was getting sick of being Luke’s body pillow’ or whatever. 

“And what do you suggest I do? Dating as a mega cool rockstar doesn’t sound fun. I mean, how many people am I going to encounter that just want to use me for my money?”

And Reggie said, “Easy: just find someone who’s in it for the money to begin with.”

What the hell went on in that boy’s brain?

But Luke can’t stop thinking about it. It’s a bad idea, right? To pay someone to pay attention to him? How pathetic. 

Although… Bobby is the worst cuddler ever, and while he loves his boys to the moon and back, they’re right. Luke needs someone to love romantically, not platonically. He has enough platonic love, thank you very much. 

Three days later, he downloads the first app of the kind he sees. The boys hover over his shoulders and help him make his account, making sure he leaves out such minor details as his last name and occupation and face. 

“I’ve left out everything a potential sugar baby needs to know. I look like a sketchy Craigslist ad.”

“Nah man,” Alex starts, and Luke can tell he’s about to say something either eloquent or totally stupid, “This is your best bet at matching someone who actually likes you. Once they find out you’re famous, it’ll just be a nice surprise.”

(Oh, if only he’d known just how true those words would turn out to be.)

So he pushes onward. And gets no matches all day.

Why had he let his bandmates convince him to download that dumb app?

(Because he has a virtually nonexistent social life, excessive free time, and more money than any 24 year old should be allowed to have and the odd little trinkets he buys are slowly filling his room. He needs to get off Etsy.

And, if he really lets himself think about it, Luke is lonely.)

“See? I told you.” Luke huffed over takeout food in their living room. “No one wants the faceless, nameless, jobless guy.”

Bobby jabs at the air with his chopsticks, signaling he has something to say but is still chewing. “Look,” he swallows. “It’s only been a day. Why don’t you try matching with some other people?”

Alex and Reg murmur agreements as they fight over the wishbone. He’s outnumbered. 

Bobby comes to sit next to him on the couch as Luke opens up the main dash of the app and the first photo is of the single prettiest girl he’s ever seen. Bobby whistles, calling the attention of the other two boys.

“Julie.” Reggie reads, trying the name out.

“She’s hot, dude.” Bobby shakes his shoulders.

“She has nice eyes,” Alex comments, reaching over to scroll down and see the rest of her profile.

“23, works in a cafe, has a degree in Psychology and Music Theory, enjoys listening to music, dancing, and sunbathing at the beach.” Luke reads aloud, awe evident in his voice.

“Bro, swipe right!” Bobby nearly yells, and the other two join in the chant. Luke shakes his head and laughs, swipes right on her photo, and confetti sprinkles down the screen, the words ‘ _ It’s a Match! _ ’ at the top of the screen.

Cue more cheering from the guys. Luke can’t stop the giddy smile that appears on his face, and he sends her a message immediately. 

If he’d have known how awesome Julie Molina would turn out to be, then he’d have spent a little more time on his first impression. They talk for weeks, and they guys pester him to meet up with her soon.

Maybe because the excitement of talking to someone new caused him to be even more touchy, but those are minor details.

And their first date goes well. Really well, if he might say so himself. She had obviously recognised him (not a surprise for him; she had gushed about their music so often, and had dove so deep into his lyrics that she made connections even  _ he _ hadn’t considered before) and Luke was ecstatic to find she was pleasantly surprised, and wanted to keep talking to him.

All was well until he walked in his shared house just a little after 5pm, having taken a long walk to mull over his thoughts in peace. The guys were happy for him, but later that night they asked the dreaded question: how much money is he going to give her?

He ends up re-downloading the dating app to get her PayPal from her bio, and the guys settled behind his shoulders again to watch him stare at the ‘Send Money’ screen.

“500 should do it, right?” Reggie says, and everybody says it’s too much.

But Luke doesn’t have any idea how much is appropriate for a date. Is this sealing the deal? Or is this a one time thing? So he sends the money with a little note that Alex helps him construct. 

It’s only two minutes before Julie texts him.

Alex speaks first. “This sounds like she’s playing coy so you send her more, but you’re the one who met her today.”

“No, no, that doesn’t sound like her at all. She’s real genuine, I swear.”

Alex just shakes his head. “Only you would find the stingiest sugar baby out there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i headcanon that Julie would grow up to be a music therapist (maybe after her music career settles down?) because i think that is right up her alley. and yes! it's a real thing! the bitch this story is dedicated to is studying to do that and im so proud of him xoxo


	3. Chapter 3

Julie can’t shake the feeling that she’s done something wrong. All the next day, she feels guilty and heavy, like the new $500 in her bank account is physically holding her down. 

But she can’t feel too guilty when she remembers the way Luke had looked at her, like she hung the moon. And she likes Luke, she knows she does. Finding out he’s a super popular rockstar doesn’t change that. 

Okay, it changes it a little. But if anything, she’s just more nervous. 

Why didn’t he date another celebrity? Isn’t that what famous people did?

Not that she’s complaining. He is just as sweet as he is over text and then some. Flynn said he was a diamond in the rough. The good morning text she received seems to be evidence of that. 

But her coworker can smell her dilemma from a mile away. She’s not expecting Carrie to ignore her mood, anyway.

“Come on Julie, spill! Something happened yesterday, I know it.”

“Nothing happened! I just took a day off, that’s all.”

Carrie doesn’t believe her, but she shrugs her shoulders and turns back to the drink she’s making, piling whipped cream onto the frappe.

The bell above the door chimes, and Julie is glad to see it’s just Flynn walking in and not another customer. It’s not busy; it’s not quite the lunch rush yet, but Julie isn’t looking forward to the buzz of activity. Not today.

Flynn, on the other hand, hesitates in her next steps, almost tripping on her way to the counter. 

Carrie, not looking at what she’s doing, puts too much whipped cream on the frappe. It spills over and she curses under her breath as she cleans up the mess, cheeks pink.

Julie almost laughs, bites her tongue. Flynn has been coming in here so often in the last few months, and it’s not to see Julie. 

“We’ll be with you in a moment.” Julie says, a coy grin on her face as she grabs a rag and starts to deep-clean the steamer. Carrie scowls at her, but Julie just shrugs. 

The most awkward transaction Julie has ever seen goes down. And she’s dropped Shawn Mendes’ drink not once, but twice. Poor guy had to wait 15 minutes for a cup of plain coffee (he hasn’t come back since then, come to think of it). 

Carrie forgets the entire menu when Flynn asks what she recommends, and Flynn’s hands shake as they hand over their card. And they forget their own name when Carrie asks for the name for the order, despite the fact that Carrie most definitely knows Flynn’s name.

Once Flynn makes her awkward retreat, Carrie slams her head on the counter, but not before slapping Julie’s shoulder.

“How dare you leave me alone with her!” Her voice is muffled by the towel she so gracefully laid down before her forehead hit the steel.

“Come on, Carrie. Just ask her out.”

“No! Have you seen them? There is no way in hell Flynn would be interested in me.”

Julie has got to find a better way to stop her thoughts from tumbling out, her tongue is suffering between her teeth. If only she knew how much Flynn gushed about her at home…

She was hoping the silly little Flarrie encounter (julie came up with that herself. flynn has a love/hate relationship with the name) would get Carrie off her back. Unfortunately, she’s quick to recover from embarrassment. It’s only ten minutes later that Carrie is back to pestering her.

“Seriously, Molina, you can’t hide from me. Spill before I pry it out of you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She states simply, but makes the mistake of turning in her direction. Their eyes lock, and Julie knows she’s been busted.

“Oh. My. God. You had a  _ date _ !”

“I did not!” She protests, but she’s not fooling anyone.

“You are positively glowing, how did I not notice before? Oh my god, did you have sex?”

“No! Ew Carrie, I wouldn’t on the first date.”

“So you admit it was a date.”

Damn it, why is Carrie so good at that? Julie drops her rag on the counter. 

“Fuck you.”

“Who was it?” Carrie seems unfazed by her outburst.

Julie weighs the pros and cons of telling Carrie about her date. She’s… friends.... with Carrie. Sort of. She’s kind of petty and has no filter, but not too bad. She does her job. It’s not like it’s weird for a 23 year old to be dating anyway.

“Just some guy. Met on a dating app and we’ve been talking for a few weeks. We met up yesterday and had coffee and lunch. That’s all.” Julie busies herself with wiping the counter again even though it’s already clean. 

“Are you gonna see him again?”

“Maybe? Probably? I don’t know!” She throws her hands up in exasperation, looking up to find Carrie’s eyes. “I like him, but I’ll give it a little more time, maybe another date or two.”

Carrie seems satisfied with her confession, turning away to help the man that’s approached the counter. 

“You know,” Julie sashays over to Carrie at the espresso machine once she’s done taking the man’s order. “Flynn went with me on my date. Hung back and made sure I didn't get kidnapped. You know how blind dates are.”

“Did she now?” Carrie’s voice sounded strained, cheeks flushing pink and a soft smile on her face.

Serves her right for prying, Julie thinks, as Carrie is flustered for the next 20 minutes.

And the day goes on. Another barista joins them for the lunch rush and Julie lets her irritation with Carrie’s meddling die down. Once the cafe dies down, another barista joins the third, and her and Carrie clock out. 

* * * *

In the breakroom, Julie and Carrie talk about their evening plans as they get their stuff from their lockers. Julie has one sleeve in her jacket when she sees the message from Luke lighting up her phone screen.

**_Luke:_ ** _ hey jules :) how you doin _

And leave it to Carrie to look over just as the smile makes its way across Julie’s face. 

“Is that  _ him _ ?!”

“You need a life, Care.” Julie says simply, tilting her phone so Carrie can see the message over her shoulder. No use in fighting it.

“Aw, how sweet!” Carrie swoons, and Julie can tell from the look in her eyes that Carrie longs for someone (namely, Flynn) to talk to her like this. And then her dramatic demeanor is back. “Text him back!”

“Gee, shouldn’t I wait? Don’t want to be too available.” Julie teases.

“Fuck that. Text him now! Say something cute.”

Julie rolls her eyes as Carrie finally retreats, waving goodbye and walking out the back door. 

**_Julie:_ ** _ hey! just got off work _

**_Julie:_ ** _ how was your day? _

**_Luke:_ ** _ better now that im talking to you :) _

**_Luke:_ ** _ you free tomorrow night? _

  
**_Julie:_ ** _ ofc! what did you have in mind? _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not me DOUBLING the word count just with this chapter--
> 
> um. so enjoy this >4k monster of a chapter

Luke insists their date location is a surprise. But he tells her to bring a bathing suit and a change of clothes. 

Flynn is ecstatic for her, but Julie is a little apprehensive. 

He isn’t taking her swimming so he can do the classic ‘see her without makeup’ trick, is he? She hopes not. Joke’s on him; she’s been on plenty of those dates and has her trusty wedding-grade makeup spray. That stuff keeps makeup intact in the ocean and at water parks, so she feels fine there. It’s the swimsuit she’s worried about. 

She hasn't bought a new swimsuit in years. And while she likes the ones she has in her drawer, none of them really scream ‘date with a rockstar’. 

So Flynn takes her shopping that afternoon.

And by shopping, Julie thinks they’re going to JC Penney or something, but Flynn gives her directions and Julie is pulling into the parking garage at Fred Segal. 

“Flynn, you know we can’t afford this.”

“Maybe not me, but you can!” Flynn waggles her eyebrows. Julie goes pale as a ghost.

“No way. I am not spending his money on a bathing suit I’m gonna wear maybe once.” 

“Oh come on. He gave you money to spend! And you said so yourself, you need someone to fund your shopping obsession.”

“I was kidding!” Julie says, nervous laughter bubbling in her chest.

But Flynn gives her that look. The one they give when they know they’re right and Julie is wrong and Julie is all too familiar with it. 

He  _ did _ give her money to spend. And besides, it wasn’t like he had to know she had spent it on a lousy piece of clothing.

Julie sighs. She looks at Flynn pointedly. She steps out of the car. 

Flynn squeals happily, skipping a bit to catch up with Julie. And the store is everything the girls imagined.

“I feel like we’re celebrities.” Flynn whispers as she runs her hands along a rack of silky blouses as they pass by. 

They’re quick to find the bathing suits, and Flynn gets to work finding the best one. At this point, Julie feels like she’s along for the ride, so she rocks on her heels as Flynn holds bikini and bikini against her. 

Flynn says a statement piece is what she needs. Something ‘flashy, classy, and sexy’. Julie says she needs something stylish but modest. 

Then Flynn shoves her in a large dressing room and follows after her, and Flynn sits on the little stool in the corner. And Julie picks through the massive pile Flynn has acquired and tries on the ones that catch her eye.

She twirls in front of the mirror, wearing a purple bikini that she’s sure is a few sizes too small. And gapes at the price.

“Flynn.”

“Yes love?”

“This is over two hundred dollars.”

“And?”

“It’s not practical. Or comfortable, for that matter.” It takes Julie a few extra moments to pry the suit off her, when a white and blue set catches her eye. 

“Oh, I knew you’d like that one!”

And Flynn is right. She does like it. It’s white with blue watercolor marbled all over, and is muttered with sunflowers. 

“It’s perfect!” And she’s happy to find it’s high-waisted and covers her chest comfortably. 

And! It’s just shy of $100, which Julie can get behind. It’s still enough to make her cringe, but she could make this worth the spending.

The money was a gift, after all.

So they head out in search of the check-out counter. But Flynn sees a dress that is to die for, and although Julie thinks cheetah print is tacky and it’s way too expensive for her taste, Julie plucks it off the rack before Flynn can object.

Julie can justify this. She bought this suit for  _ him _ . And the dress for Flynn didn’t need an excuse because it made Flynn happy. Despite her reasoning, it still causes her to go lightheaded as she swipes her card, silently praying something didn’t go wrong with the transaction.

So they leave the store $236 poorer, but it’s okay. This is fine. This is what she is meant to do, right? 

But the rest of the money is going towards rent this month. And luckily, Flynn agrees.

* * * *

The next day comes and Julie is not ready. She had dreamed she went to the beach with Luke, only for crazed fans to surround them and the tabloids to snap a million photos, and then she had gained 10k followers on Instagram and started getting threats for dating Luke. And accusations of being a gold digger. 

So she’s out of sorts that morning. But! She has a mystery date with a fucking  _ rockstar _ (and her lyrical idol, but he really didn’t need to know any more about that than he already did), and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t look her best. If she is gonna get photos taken of her, might as well let them be good photos. 

She settles for some waterproof mascara and some highlighter with maybe too much setting spray. She doesn’t need to have black streaks running down her cheeks, after all.

Anxiety sets in around 7am. Luke isn’t going to be here until 8:30 am, but she couldn’t stand to be in bed any longer. Not with her guilt.

Is she a gold digger? Not technically? She isn’t with him  _ just _ for his money. That had been the goal, she’ll admit, but she hadn’t known he was famous. And she really likes him. Liked him before she knew his name. 

That’s a weird thing to think. Julie decides she doesn’t like thinking about it this way. He’s just… treating her to dates and a couple hundred bucks. 

For what?

This is the first time Julie’s thought of the catch. What  _ does _ he get out of this? Luke certainly isn’t doing this solely for her benefit. 

Suddenly she feels she isn’t doing enough. But she doesn’t know what he  _ wants _ . Is she spending enough time with him? Is she just  _ that _ great of company? Is…  _ dear any deity out there let this not be his goal _ … is she showing enough skin?

This is not a good idea. She feels like she’s going to throw up. She has to lay down. 

Julie calms herself by scrolling through his Instagram page on the couch. She’s all ready. Bathing suit under her crop top and shorts. A small bag filled with tanning oil and spare clothes should something happen to the ones she’s wearing. And her nicest sundress. Her gut tells her to bring something fancier, just in case.

Flynn comes out of her room at exactly 8:26 am (no. she was not looking at the clock.) and a knock at the door startles them both. All the anxiety from the hour before comes back full force.

Thankfully Flynn is dressed, and she rushes to answer the door before Julie can. 

And there stands Luke Patterson. A bouquet of sunflowers and dahlias in his hands. 

“Hi Luke! Nice to officially meet you.” Flynn ushers him inside, and Julie feels like it’s Junior Prom all over again, Flynn as her dad.

“You must be Flynn. Nice to see you without that ridiculous hat.”

“Did what I had to. Treat her well.”

Julie rolls her eyes in what she hopes is in a chill manner, but inside her insides are rolling too.  _ Why does he have dahlias why does he have dahlias why does he-- _

“For you,” He says, all cheeky smiles and it takes everything Julie has to reach out and accept the gift. 

“Thank you. They’re nice.” Julie fingers one of the dahlia’s delicate petals. She gives him a smile and almost flinches at how  _ green _ his eyes are. So soft. Like looking into beautifully stained glass. What’s lying beyond?

The thought startles her away from his gaze, walking past him to put the bouquet in water, but Flynn takes it from her. 

“Go, I’ll take care of this. Have fun and drink water.”

Julie laughs dryly. “Thanks, we will. Call me if you need anything.”

Luke’s suddenly behind her-- he is so quiet? why does he walk so quietly?-- so they walk out the door.

“Be back before midnight, young lady!”

“Thanks, dad!” 

“I like her.” Luke states, matching his steps with hers as they walk down the hall.

“Me too. We’ve been best friends since elementary school.”

“Wow. It’s nice having friends like that, huh?”

“Definitely.”

If Julie had looked up any sooner, she’d have seen Luke looking at her, not bothering to watch where he was going. Willing to follow her anywhere.

“So,” she says, looking to break the silence, “You gonna tell me where you’re taking me?”

“Not quite yet.”

She can’t tell whether to be intrigued or worried. She has only met him twice, and celebrity or not, she can rattle off at least ten ways this can end badly. 

None of them include what’s waiting for her once they walk out of the apartment complex. 

This is not happening. She’s seeing things. It’s the heat. Has to be. 

But Luke bounds forward to the white convertible parked on the street. And the other three members of Sunset Curve hop over the car doors to meet them halfway.

“Julie, these are my best friends and bandmates: Alex, Bobby, and Reggie.” Luke says, standing next to them and holding his arms out like a child showing his parents the tower he made out of blocks. Complete with a quiet ‘ba-da!’. “Boys, this is Julie.” 

“Hi Julie!” They all sing at once, and Julie wonders if they’ve rehearsed this. 

“Um. Hello.”

“Aw, don’t be shy! Come on,” he says softly, taking a few steps towards her and reaching for her hand.

And out of everything that’s happened to her in the past month, Luke’s fingers tangling between hers should not cause her this amount of turmoil. Butterflies, anxiety, and a sudden need to please fill her all at once, so she smiles wide. Smiles as brightly as she can. Smiles as if she can expel all the bad thoughts through her teeth. 

She lets Luke lead her to the car, lets him open the passenger door for her. She thanks him politely and steps in, the other three boys crowding into the backseat.

Someone taps her shoulder, so she turns around and finds it’s Alex, close enough to whisper to, but not too close as to crowd her. 

“Hey, we’re glad you’re here. Luke has not shut up about you.” His smile is genuine and he’s clearly trying to calm her down. The sentiment is much appreciated.

She decides to play it as cool as possible, but the intrigue is too much. “He hasn’t?”

Reggie speaks up, a wide grin on his face. “Not since you guys started talking.” 

Luke finally reaches the door, sitting in the driver’s seat.

Reggie continues in a stage whisper, “He spent 20 minutes choosing the perfect flowers for you.”

“Hey hey hey,” Luke starts, cheeks turning just a little rouge and Julie can’t help her soft smile as he looks her way. “She didn’t need to know that.”

“They were perfect.” She says, feeling a false boldness to reach over and grab his hand. His eyes light up in the most perfect way.

Someone mumbles something behind her, and the telltale sound of hand slapping skin follows. Luke laughs, giving her a wink and starting the car.

Luke rests his hand across the back of her seat to reverse the car, his bicep right next to her face. She can tell he’s showing off from the cocky smile on his face, and how it grows wider when she flushes. 

This was going to be a long day. 

Julie lets Luke keep their destination a secret, instead opting to listen to the embarrassing stories the other guys have of Luke, mostly Bobby. She listens with interest as bobby relays the time Luke lived in his parent’s garage when he was 17 for a few months, or the time he got his arm stuck in a vending machine and had to call the fire department, or the time he suggested they get street dogs before their first Orpheum performance and they nearly went to the hospital due to food poisoning.

Julie knows that story by heart, just like any Curver, but she listens and laughs anyway. It’s nice to hear it from Bobby’s perspective, especially when she gets to hear about the aftermath, about a frantic teen Bobby taking care of his three delusionally sick bandmates.

Eventually, a very flustered Luke requests they stop with the embarrassment. Julie takes pity on him, resting her hand on top of his (wait. when had he put his hand on her knee?) and he gratefully turns his hand to twine their fingers together. Reggie claps her shoulder to tease, and Julie can’t help but smile at how friendly the gesture is. Like they had welcomed her in, at least a little. 

Whether to avoid more stories about him or whether he just can’t sit still, Luke turns on the radio. The car comes even more alive as the four guys jam out to the tunes. Julie smiles and nods her head along, letting her body move to the beat. 

Her suspicions are proven correct when Luke parks the car right in front of the beach. She’s startled they are already there; it doesn’t seem like it’s been a half hour already.

But the boys in the back hop out single file and open the trunk, pulling out mismatched beach bags and Bobby pulls out a whole sun umbrella. 

“Can I help?” She asks, but all four of them decline the offer. She feels weird not helping at all, so she slings her own small bag over her shoulder and takes the stack of towels Alex is trying to balance in his already full arms. She’s correct again at her assumption that Alex wouldn’t tell her no. He gives her a thankful smile and sets off after Reggie and Bobby to find an empty spot in the sand. 

“I thought we said not to carry anything.” Luke pouts from next to her (and she nearly jumps out of her skin.  _ why _ is he so quiet?). 

“Looked like Alex needed help?” She shrugs and starts after the boys.

Another win for Julie: Luke doesn’t protest, in fact, it looks like he’s pleased with her. She lets this thought warm her chest as they walk in comfortable silence, into the sand where the boys are working on setting up the umbrella. 

“So. Why the beach?” Julie finally asks once she and Luke are setting up two chairs under the shade of the umbrella and the other three boys have gone into the water. 

“You like the beach, right?”

Of all the things he could have said, she wasn’t expecting that. Especially not the  _ way _ he said it. She looked up at him immediately. He was already looking at her, hope in his eyes and she could easily recall the hesitance in his voice.

“Yes! I love the beach!” She scrambles to get that kicked puppy look off his face. “I just… we went to the beach just for me?”

“Well, yeah. I figured you’d be more comfortable meeting the guys if we were somewhere you liked.” His voice trails off, and he looks down at the sand in between his toes. 

Something rises in Julie’s throat. She can’t tell whether it’s fear she’s done something wrong, or admiration, or something else she isn’t quite ready to name. But she doesn’t like it. Not while Luke is feeling inadequate. 

Julie steps around the chair between them, and she feels she should be more collected but she just can’t get to his side fast enough. 

Tentatively, she grabs his hands, swinging them gently back and forth between them. “Hey, that’s really sweet of you. Thanks for considering my feelings.”

He looks up at her once more. 

Just as quickly as she had come over, she wishes she could run away. His eyes hold too much emotion and hidden treasures for someone she’s known for a month. But he holds her still, and she can’t find it in herself to will her feet to take a rescuing step back. 

“They’re really important to you, huh?”

He takes a breath in, like it’s his first, and chuckles a bit. “Yeah. They’re like family.”

“Thanks for letting me meet them.”

He takes a moment to study her features before speaking again. “It’s my pleasure.”

Some shouting from the ocean shatters their moment. It might be Reggie, but she’s not sure. Whoever it is, she wishes they’d be quiet. 

Luke looks over her shoulder and laughs at whatever he sees. 

“We should get in the water, hm?”

“Yeah! Yeah, we should.” She answers, making no effort to move away. This only causes more mirth to spread across his face. Finally, he steps back to rummage through his bag for something or other. Julie turns around, cheeks burning (from the heat. the heat. yes.). She removes her shorts and shirt, leaving only her new bathing suit and a sudden bout of consciousness waves through her. 

She wants him to find her attractive. The thought is terrifying.

She turns around too soon, however, because Luke is taking off his shirt and  _ oh no oh no-- _

All she can see is his back, but it’s enough to force her to spin on her toes, pretending to find something in her bag to hide whatever reaction appeared on her face. 

After a few calming moments and deep breaths, she stands back up. He’s right next to her. 

“Goodness!” She all but shouts, hand over her heart. “You’re so quiet!”

“Sorry.” he says simply, not looking remorseful at all. “You look great.” 

His hand grabs hers and spins her, just once, as if they’re dancing. Her toes touch the edge of the shade, hot sand surprising her for a moment until she’s back in the shade and  _ awfully close _ to Luke. They may not be dancing at the moment, but her heart certainly is. He’s grinning like a fool, and she can’t understand why until he’s tugging on her hand to lead her out from under the umbrella. 

And he’s slinging her over his shoulder as if she weighs nothing. 

“Luke!” She yelps, caught off guard by her heart flipping above her head (figuratively and literally). His hands hold her securely by the backs of her legs, and while she knows he won't let her fall, she’s still a little breathless from where his hands meet her skin. 

“Yes?” he replies, trying and failing to keep the smile out of his voice.

“What are you doing?” She laughs, lifting her torso up enough to try and look over her shoulder, only catching a glimpse of his hair flopping in the slight breeze.

“Can’t let your feet touch the hot sand, now can I?”

Maybe it’s the way he says it like it’s so matter-of-fact, or maybe it’s the implication, but that same feeling from before rises in her throat. She has a vague idea what to call it, but she doesn’t want to give it any more thought than it’s worth. Especially not while Luke’s hands are searing into her skin, hotter than the sun, like he’s branding her and she’s not complaining at all. 

Well,  _ wasn’t _ complaining. She’s just been unceremoniously tossed into the cold ocean. 

Her head resurfaces and with it a sharp chill. The ocean should not feel this cold. 

Reggie extends a hand to help her stand in the water, and she takes it gladly, playing the damsel in distress so Luke won’t expect her splash. 

It douses him head to toe and causes Alex to double over in laughter. Luke’s hair sticks to his face, obscuring his vision and he gapes like a fish out of water. 

“Hey! That’s cold!”

“Yeah, go figure.” She snarks back, hand on her cocked hip and Bobby  _ ooh _ s like a middle schooler. 

“You’re asking for it, Molina.”

Julie blames his use of her last name. Damn him for so easily short-circuiting her brain. 

He scoops her up bridal style and dunks her into the freezing water, leaving just her head above water. She gasps at the sudden chill taking over her body, his laughter cut off by her arms tightening around his neck.

Her only solace is that he’s in the cold water too. And his arms. His arms around her are pretty cool too, she supposes. And the way his breath catches when she wraps against him tighter, looking for warmth to battle the Pacific. 

Oh yeah. The heat in her cheeks could vibe check the cold ocean current easily. 

Bobby makes some comment about being done flirting, but she doesn’t quite hear it. Luke releases his hold on her, grabbing her hand instead to lift her out of the water. 

He doesn’t let go of her hand for a while after that. Even when they get separated by one of the guys tackling him, or engaging Julie in a splash war, they always reconnect until the guys stop trying and they retreat to the coast to try and make a sand castle.

Luke slings Julie over his shoulder again to bring her back across the hot sand. What about his feet, hm? They’d be able to make it faster if he’d just let her walk. But no, he had to be chivalrous and sweet and good. Damn him.

He sets her down under the protection of their shade.

“Do you ever stop smiling?” It’s probably the heat of the day that takes a little reservation out of Julie, resting her hand on his arm as she laughs. 

“Not when you’re around.”

“Careful, charmer. Keep that up and I might think you’re serious.”

But humor is slowly fading from his face. No no no that’s not supposed to happen! It’s beach day! Happy day! No pouting allowed!

“What if I am?”

Julie doesn’t have an answer for this. No gauge on what she’s supposed to do. What is she supposed to say? 

She bounces up onto her tiptoes and kisses his cheek, coming down to her regular height slowly.

His eyes look glazed over, still with a stupid smile on his face and oh. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do. 

Her eyes widen as she leans in a little closer. “...Luke?”

“Yeah?” He sounds like he’s on another planet.

“Was that okay?”

“Yes! Yes, it was. It was fine. It was okay. It was good, actually. Plenty good.”

Julie can’t help but giggle at his words vomit, which he takes to mean she’s okay with a hug. 

Normally she is. But it’s much too intimate right now. His chin rests on the top of her head, arms around her shoulders. Leaving her to wrap around his waist. Cheek against his chest. Too intimate. 

Just one more minute, please.

  
  
  
  


Eventually the other three boys grow tired and take down their little camp site, and hail a cab to take them home. She’s delighted they all accept a goodbye hug, albeit, some more enthusiastically than others.

“Hey, you wanna grab an early dinner?” Luke asks once the guys are gone. 

“Sure! Did you have a place in mind?”

“I think so. You like thai?”

“I love thai.” She answers, taking his hand in hers but it feels like she’s confessing to loving a little more than thai food. 

He leads her to a nearby changing room, and she’s quick to change into her sundress, attempting to tame her hair but deciding to leave it be. 

When she steps out, she’s not expecting to see him wearing ripped jeans and a button-up grey shirt, folded to the elbows and the top buttons left undone.

At least he seems just as speechless as her. 

They laugh it off as he holds her hand once more, leading her to the sidewalk. Julie decides she never wants to let go of his hand. His arm brushes hers as they walk down the street, not far until he’s tugging her into a casual restaurant. 

Turns out, a sit down dinner is quite different than a coffee date or a day at the beach. Julie’s surprised at the soft-spoken version of himself, how he settles down and cleans up for dress-up occasions. Julie notes that she’ll have to look up the last Grammy’s and see if she can spot him in a suit. 

They engage in talk about their families, about Luke’s dreams for the band and what Julie hopes to do with her degree. They talk about petty fears (his is a phobia of canadian geese. must have died by their beaks in a past life, he swears. hers is rodents. a bad petting zoo accident, she confesses) and silly aspirations and bucket lists.

After a glass of wine (or two), he speaks of his parents. The reason he ran away to Bobby’s at 17 and never went back. She speaks of her mother. How she used to write music with her before cancer took her away. 

And by the end of the night, they’re walking a little closer together, speaking a little quieter, a little more comfortably. He takes her fingers in his as he drives her home, pressing kisses to her knuckles at every red light. Her heart flutters every time. 

At her door, she kisses his cheek once more, retreating inside before she can do something foolish.

  
**_PayPal:_ ** _ Luke Patterson sent you $100.00 “goodnight love <3” _


	5. Chapter 5

Julie nearly swallows her toothbrush as she checks her phone the next morning. Usually she doesn’t have a lot of notifications. Small enough to check while she brushes her teeth. But the small red ‘21’ on the corner of the phone app is making her sick. Several missed calls from her dad and tía, one from Luke, and a couple from a number she doesn’t have saved.

She forces herself to put the phone down to finish getting ready. And she had wanted to look it over with Flynn over breakfast, but they left a note on the table, saying they had a work emergency and had to go early. 

Great. How was she supposed to go about this?

Google. Yeah, Google would probably have the answers she needs to enter the mess that’s sure to be her social media. 

Nervously, over a bowl of granola, she searches ‘Sunset Curve’ in the search bar and instantly knows what the fuss is about. 

At least 15 articles from various magazines showcase their day at the beach. And a lot of them are photos of Julie having her heart-to-heart with Luke under the umbrella, of Luke carrying her to and from the water, and a couple even show their dinner date.

Jeez, is this what he deals with every time he leaves the house? This is creepy! One fashion mag praises her choice in swimwear and her sundress, so at least she has that going for her. 

Lots of dating rumors. So many. Some speculate she’s a family friend, but their date disputes that pretty quickly. And all of them are asking who she is. 

She calls her dad first. He has many questions, but she’s coming over for dinner in a few days anyway, so she promises to tell him then. She sends her best wishes to Carlos before hanging up to tell her aunt the same thing. 

Nervously, she calls the unfamiliar number who’d called 3 times around 4am.

“Hello?” A groggy voice states.

“Um, hi? You called me last night.”

“Oh! Julie! It’s Alex.”

She breathes a sigh of relief, thankful it isn’t some creep who’d somehow gotten her info (hey, she didn’t know how far people would go).

“Oh, hey. What’s up?”

He clears his throat before continuing. “I wanted to call and… well, I guess apologise. I can only assume you’ve seen the news?”

She rests her forehead in her hand. “Unfortunately. I was just about to call Luke, is he awake?”

“He’d wake up for you.”

Julie tries not to let that comment settle in her heart like it so desperately wants to. “Um, okay. Thanks.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Alex, it’s okay. It was gonna happen at some point, right?”

“Didn’t have to happen so soon.”

Julie bites the inside of her cheek. Alex is really trying hard to make sure she’s okay. And not just this morning, but he did the same yesterday. She can tell she’s going to enjoy his company. 

“I mean it, it’s fine. I’m gonna call Luke now.”

“Ooh, enjoy that. Bye.”

Julie rolls her eyes at his insulation. “Bye.”

She quickly adds his number to her phone. But putting Alex Mercer into her contact list seems too weird, so she settles for just Alex with a drum emoji where his last name should be. 

(she hadn’t bothered adding Patterson after Luke’s name, either. he got a guitar emoji and an orange heart, but no one needed to know that)

Alex wasn’t kidding. Luke answers after the second ring.

“Hey, you okay?”

And it strikes Julie that this is the first time they’ve talked over the phone. Not a great start.

“Yeah! Yeah, everything is fine. Have you checked your phone yet?”

“No, just woke up,” And she hears it in his voice, can imagine him rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Her heart swells at the thought of him rushing to answer her call.

“It’s okay, go back to sleep. I’m gonna go to work.”

She stifles a giggle as he sighs tiredly. “M’kay. Talk to you later, love.”

There’s no more humor anymore. Blood creeps up her neck, strangling the airflow into her lungs. She forces out a ‘goodnight’ and hangs up, face burning and heart racing.

She opts to walk to work since it’s a nice day, and it gives her an excuse to leave an hour early to meander her way to the cafe. 

(talk to you later, love)

She’s relieved to find no one recognises her on the street. Turns out that seeing someone a few times in semi-blurry photos doesn’t stick for long. She was worried for nothing! And she gets to work in one piece and with a solid frame of mind. She can easily breeze through her work day and go home and hide with Flynn. 

Except for, you know, workplace disruptions.

Julie walks in the back door and Carrie is standing right in the middle of the breakroom. Arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Shit.

“Um. Good morning? What’s up?” Julie hooks her purse on a nearby hook on the wall.

Carrie stares at her, eyebrows raising higher. 

“Did Yasmin forget to start the dishwater again?”

Carrie’s arms fly up in exasperation. “ _ Julianna Xiomara Molina _ , how dare you!”

Julie doesn't have time to register  _ how _ Carrie knows her full name because she keeps going, fire in her veins.

“You lied to me! You said you went on a blind date! You said it was just ‘some guy’. Luke Patterson is  _ not _ ‘some guy’! When were you going to tell me?!”

“Calm down.”

“No!”

“Carrie Wilson! Shut the hell up before someone hears you!”

She’s not happy, but she stays quiet, gesturing for Julie to continue speaking. Julie can feel a headache coming on.

“I didn’t lie to you. I had a blind date and it just so happened to be him and…”

“You said you talked for a few weeks before you met. You expect me to believe that you didn’t know who he was?”

“He didn’t give me a last name! Or a photo for that matter. I had no idea.”

Carrie mulls over this as Juie steps around her to get to her locker, pulling out her work apron and tying it on. 

She leans against the locker next to Julie’s. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I wanted to keep it on the DL.”

“You kinda failed.” The blonde rolls her eyes, a smile on her face. She really flips her moods like a switch, doesn’t she?

“I didn’t decide on going to the beach,” she hesitates before continuing, “It was Luke’s idea.” 

“ _ With his band _ ? Wasn’t that, like, date number 2? Unless you’ve been holding out on me.”

Julie huffed, already done with this conversation. “No, it was the second. I’m not entirely sure why he wanted me to meet them, either.”

“Well I think I have an idea because I’m not totally clueless.” Carrie taps Julie’s nose. Ew. Her nose scrunches in distaste at the contact.

“Oh, do tell, Master Carrie! What do you see in your crystal ball?” Julie lets her sarcastic smile hover for a moment before it falls. She turns back to her locker.

“Not funny. He obviously really likes you! His band is his  _ family _ . You basically met his parents.”

(talk to you later, love)

Julie scoffs to stop the racing in her heart. She pushes Luke’s voice out of her mind; she has a diva to appease. “That makes no sense. And how would you know that?” Now it’s Julie’s turn to cock her hip, pleased at the way Carrie stutters.

“Come on Jules. You and I both know we’re lowkey obsessed with Sunset Curve.”

Well, she has a point. Their shared taste in music was the sole reason she had given Carrie a chance at friendship in the first place. Sometimes it feels like Sunset Curve is the only thing holding their fragile truce in place. How ironic.

“Okay? So they’re basically their own found family.” Julie punctuates this by slamming her locker closed. Carrie jumps at the sudden sound. “But he isn’t, like, in love with me or anything. I’m just--”

Oh. Probably should stop talking now.

“You’re just what?”

(talk to you later, love)

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“Julie…!” Carrie whines, following Julie through the door and behind the cafe counter. 

“No, we’re on the clock now, no personal talk allowed.”

“Bullshit! You’ve never followed that rule.”

“No time like the present.” Julie snaps, voice sugary sweet and dripping with a warning. 

Thankfully, Carrie knows when she’s about to cross a line, so she lets it go. Julie is thankful for the quiet, even if it means the atmosphere is tense. 

* * * *

After work, Julie can see her phone lighting up inside her locker before she even opens it. She’s not sure whether to be relieved or worried. It’s not  _ quite _ concerning her day out with the guys yesterday, but. 

**_Luke:_ ** _ julie _

**_Luke:_ ** _ julie _

**_Luke:_ ** _ julie _

**_Luke:_ ** _ are you okay??? _

**_Luke:_ ** _ please answer  _

**_Luke:_ ** _ are you dead _

**_Luke:_ ** _ oh my god  _

**_Luke:_ ** _ julie _

**_Luke:_ ** _ julie _

**_Luke:_ ** _ ju _

**_Luke:_ ** _ please julie are you mad at me _

**_Luke:_ ** _ im sorry <3 _

**_Luke:_ ** _ julieeeeee _

**_Julie:_ ** _ LUKE _

**_Luke:_ ** _ <3 JULIE!! <3 _

**_Julie:_ ** _ im not mad at you?? i told you i was going to work _

**_Luke:_ ** _ when? i dont remember that _

**_Julie:_ ** _ i called you this morning _

**_Julie:_ ** _ you had just woken up so _

**_Luke:_ ** _ oh _

**_Luke:_ ** _ im sorry. about everything _

**_Julie:_ ** _ you really dont have to apologise it’s okay. told you this morning _

**_Luke:_ ** _ man! so you called me and i don’t even remember your voice :(( _

**_Julie:_ ** _ aw. poor baby. _

**_Luke:_ ** _ dont patronise me _

**_Luke:_ ** _ oh god reggie broke a vase  _

**_Luke:_ ** _ talk to you later _

**_Julie:_ ** _ :p <3 _

(talk to you later)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this one was kinda short, but i really wanted to showcase julie and carrie's weird little workplace friendship that they have going on. and julie is overthinking everything, aweee!!! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oop- i did NOT mean to make this chapter almost 6k words BUT i did anyway cause i couldn't break it up. it would be too mean. 
> 
> also. i paid charlie homage by giving luke a little... flair lol. you'll see :)
> 
> i listened to Pancakes For Dinner by Lizzy McAlpine while writing this so. that explains this chapter pretty well haha
> 
> chapter warning: HELLA Juke fluff. you've been warned

It goes without saying to hold off on their next date until things die down. It doesn't help that Flynn is treating the issue like they broke up (can’t break up if they aren’t dating, anyway). 

Alas, Julie  _ is _ a bit upset. She hasn’t seen him since their beach day and she’s ansty. Ansty to apologise for the problems. Ansty to talk with him in person again. Ansty to be with him.

Not the best way to walk into Sunday Family Dinner. 

For starters, Carlos is buzzing with even more energy than usual. She hasn’t seen him since exactly four weeks ago, but they send memes regularly and she knows he’s not just excited to  _ see _ her. 

But at least Carlos bothers waiting until dinner to pester her.

“Mija! There’s my girl in love.” Her aunt doesn’t even bother with a ‘hello’ as she walks in the door a few minutes after Julie. 

Julie makes a show of dropping her chin to her chest for Carlos, sending him a smile on the way down. He almost drops the bowl of salad in his laughter.

“Hey, tía…” Julie says, giving her a hug from the side as her aunt hangs her jacket. 

“Go on! Sit, sit. I want to hear everything.”

Julie was hoping to at least have a semi-normal dinner before she had to explain herself, but her aunt is so excited. Her hands fly around her face and wiggle, elbows tucked in and she looks like a happy little bird and how can Julie say no?

Her dad drops a basket of homemade sopapillas on the table as he sits. He hasn’t made those since mom died. He didn’t actually know how to make those, actually. But Julie knows why he made them; they’re her favorite. 

Seeing her family once a month for a home cooked meal never ceases to make her a bit emotional. She just loves them so much. She gets out her nerves by squeezing her dad’s hand during prayer. 

Her aunt doesn’t even wait to bring up the elephant in the room until everyone is served. She’s passing plates as she pipes in a  _ very _ chalant voice, “So how long have you been seeing the Patterson boy?”

Julie’s eyes widen over her glass of lemonade. She mouths ‘help me’ to Carlos across the table, but he just shrugs and takes a bite of his mashed potatoes.

“I’m not really ‘seeing him’, per se.”

“Sure seems like it.” Her dad adds, eyebrows raised.

She can’t really blame them for their nosiness. It’s their job to fuss, and the fact that she hasn’t really dated since high school isn’t helping her case. She takes another sip to stall, and damn when had her throat gotten so dry?

“Well, we started talking about a month ago, and--”

“A month ago?!” Carlos all but yells. 

“Uh… yes?”

And now she’s done it. Her wince is noticed by all. A bite of steak saves her from speaking.

“Was that a question or an answer?” Her aunt teases, but she clearly wants to know more. 

Julie takes her time chewing. It’s nerve-racking. She feels like she’s 16 again, bringing home a girl for the first time and her parents going nuts. Everyone is staring at her. 

“This is real well-done.” she says around her mouthful, a small chuckle following. Another sip of lemonade.

Carlos pokes at his pink steak and shakes his head. 

“Julie,” Her dad starts, and oh boy she’s about to get a ‘talk’. “It sounded like you weren’t sure that you’ve been talking to… him… for a month.”

Jeez. For having a household name, his name sure isn’t welcome in  _ this _ house. 

“He’s not Voldemort,” Carlos comes to her rescue, and she’ll have to remember to get him that game he’s been asking for or something, “We can say his name.”

“And yet, you still didn’t say it.” Julie gestures at him across the table with her fork. “That is a great point, dad: father whom I love so much.”

“This doesn’t sound good,” Carlos mumbles. 

Julie shoots him a playful glare before continuing, “That would be because I wasn’t actually  _ aware _ that I was talking to Luke. Well, I knew I was talking to a guy named Luke, but I didn’t know he was Luke  _ Patterson _ until later.”

Dear goodness, she could have said that _ any _ other way. The silence is palpable. 

“What I mean is, Flynn convinced me to get back into the dating scene! So she downloaded an app for me. Yep.”

“Oh! Exciting!” Tía says, a little too eager to break the silence. “What app?”

Julie almost chokes on her drink. There is no way in hell she’s telling her family she downloaded SugarDaddy.com, but she blanks. Literally can’t think of one other dating app she knows. Seriously?! She’s already been thinking for too long. Why are they staring at her like that? Just say the first one that comes to mind, damn it!

“Tinder.”

Shit! Not that one! Any app  _ but  _ that one!

Her dad’s eyebrows climb higher. But the damage is done. 

“So it’s a casual thing?” Her aunt says, eyes on her plate.

“No! No no no, not casual.” Julie awkwardly laughs. It does nothing to lighten the mood. “It’s… we haven’t really put a label on it.”

Can the ground open up and swallow her? Or maybe if she chokes on a bite of steak, they’ll take pity on her and leave her be for the rest of the night. Or she’ll asphyxiate. Both are valid options. 

“Okay.” She takes a deep breath. She can do this, right? “Let me just start from the beginning.”

So she does. Explains how he hadn’t wanted to put his last name or face on his dating account so he’d find someone who actually likes  _ him _ (her dad likes this). Tells them about the three weeks they texted, how they got to know each other. How Flynn was her escort to their first meetup in case she needed an escape (her tía likes this). How surprised she was when Luke Patterson sat down in front of her (her brother is wiggling in his seat in excitement. he really likes this). And their second date to the beach. 

She does  _ not _ tell them about the money.

Carlos has a million and one questions about the rest of the band and if they’re as nice as everyone says they are. Julie confirms this, especially Alex.

“That’s so cool! A bunch of people at school saw the photos and didn’t believe me when I said my sister was Luke Patterson’s girlfriend.”

Her sopapilla stops mid-way to her mouth. “I’m just… he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Labels are weird, anyway.”

At least Carlos is chill about it.

“Now now, have you really taken a good look at those photos?” Her aunt, however, pushes the issue. “He... _ Luke _ … doesn’t hold back on the affection.”

“Tía…”

“She’s right.” Great. Her dad is ganging up on her, too. “He looks at you like he’s loved you for years.”

(talk to you later)

(, _ love _ ?)

“I’m serious! It’s just been a month, it’s not a casual thing, and we’re not official. That’s all there is to know.”

“Why does it sound like there’s more?”

“Can I buy your silence?”

Carlos mimes sealing his lips with a smile. Guess it’s a video game for him. He wanted the new Resident Evil, right?

Her dad just shakes his head and smiles. “He makes you happy, mija?”

Her shoulders relax. Finally, out of the hot seat. “Yes, papi. He does.”

Everyone seems to agree this is the end of the conversation, so talk shifts to Tía’s work and Carlos’ baseball game on Saturday. Julie promises to be there. 

Luke isn’t brought up again until the adults are in the kitchen and her and Carlos settle in the den. 

“I’m still expecting you to buy my silence.” Carlos mentions off-handedly, eyes still glued to the video game they’re playing.

Julie tilts the remote in her hand, tongue poking out of her mouth. She’s never been good at Mario Kart. She thinks for a moment before speaking, “How about that new game dad doesn’t want to buy? Resident Evil?”

“Village?”

“If that’s what it’s called, then yes.”

She spares a quick glance, seeing his face light up, and it’s worth looking back to the TV and finding she’s run off the course. 

“Okay. I didn't download Tinder.”

“Thank goodness.”

“Shut up.” She elbows him, ineffective in her attempt to break his focus. “I downloaded SugarDaddy.”

This, however, successfully derails his focus on the game and he gets hit by a green shell. 

He’s in eighth grade, she’s sure he’s heard worse. 

“Ew, wait, does that mean you…”

“Ew, no! Carrie said the same thing. I still have  _ some _ integrity. I just was having a little trouble paying the bills.”

Carlos nods, easily climbing his way back up to first place. Julie’s glad she doesn’t have to worry about Carlos thinking less of her for anything she may do. 

“So you just… what  _ do _ you do, exactly?”

“You know, I’m not sure. I think just the dates. We haven’t really talked about it.”

“How much?”

She’s hesitant to answer, but she tells Carlos everything. What kind of big sister would she be if she kept things from her only brother?

“I got 500 for the first date.”

“What?!”

Julie shushes him through laughter. “Hey man, keep it down!”

“And the second?”

“100.”

“Ah. The first was an up-front payment, then.”

  
“I think you’re overthinking this.”

“I think you’re under thinking this.” The timer runs out, ending the race before Julie can finish her third lap. He turns his full attention to her as the screen shows the winners, his name on top. “Just don’t let him take advantage of you, okay?”

“Oh, for sure. If he breaks my heart, I’ll just tell the public he was paying me for company. That should ruin him.”

She’s only kidding, of course. Luke would never hurt her. 

“True, but he can’t break your heart if he doesn’t have it in the first place.”

“You’re very observant, you know that, kid?”

She pulls him closer, kissing the top of his head as he chooses the next map to race (and beat) her on. 

* * * *

**_Luke:_ ** _ julieeee it’s been 5 whole days i miss youuu _

“Julie! Your boyfriend texted you!” Flynn calls from the kitchen, where Julie’s forgotten her phone on the counter. “And he’s being clingy. Again.”

She comes flying out of the hallway instantly. Hair flopping as she runs to her friend’s side. 

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Julie claims as she reads the message, face lighting up to match her heart. She’s struggling to catch her breath, and she’s not sure whether it’s from running to her phone or from his message.

“Sure.”

She just sticks her tongue out. Better to just not answer. Seeing as she doesn’t really have a rebuttal. She keeps the phone on the counter so Flynn can see.

**_Julie:_ ** _ keep whining and we’ll make it 6 ;) _

**_Luke:_ ** _ i will DIE if i dont see you. can i pick you up? _

“Well, you don’t wanna keep him waiting.”

“Uh, no. If I say ‘yes’ every time he asks to hang, then who’s the fool?”

“He is; you’re getting paid and he’s the sucker shelling out. Don’t forget that.”

And there’s that sinking feeling in her stomach again. If she’s totally honest, the money’s really been bothering her. But she can’t say anything about it. As soon as she says she doesn’t want his money anymore, he’ll find a new sugar baby. She can’t articulate why she can’t stand the thought.

He’s too trusting for his own good. She’s doing him a favor. 

“Right. But we were supposed to have a girl day!”

“Who do you think funds girl’s day?” 

“I am not bailing on girl’s day. We’ve been planning for weeks!”

Flynn, for all her credit, was never good at dialing back her stubbornness. “Look, I have next Thursday off, and I know you aren’t working that day, either. We can do it then. Go see your boy toy.”

“Ew, don’t ever say ‘boy toy’ again.” But she concedes. Flynn even writes it on their shared whiteboard calendar. 

She really has the best friend in the world.

So she finds herself sitting in Luke’s white convertible a few hours later. He’s the perfect gentleman. She doesn’t expect any less. 

Julie’s starting to see a trend. He seems to always be touching her in some way. He’d spun her around as they walked down her apartment complex’s hallways. He’d latched onto her hand and gently grazed her upper back as she stepped into his car. And now, his hand is resting just above her knee as he drives. 

If the beach was any indication, he’s a touchy person. Within context, she doesn’t feel (very) weird about his constant need for physical affirmation. 

But the looks… that’s different. He keeps looking over at her every chance he gets. Once, she sneaks a look back once his eyes fix back on the road, and his smile alone does nasty things to her heart. 

She really doesn’t want to think about any of that.

As he weaves his way through Malibu, Luke breaks their small talk. “So, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the band does everything together.”

“Of course. Sunset Curve all the way, right?”

“Yeah,” It comes out as a sigh, his smile wide. “We live together, too.”

Surprisingly, this is news to Julie. And she calls herself a Curver.

“Oh. So they’re gonna be around, too.”

“Not really!” His change in tone is instantaneous. Is he… nervous? “I’ve banished them out of the main area, so we’ll be mostly alone.”

Julie smiles and pats his hand to comfort him. “Hey, it’s alright! I’m just glad to spend time with you.”

As it turns out, the boys ignore Luke’s request to scatter, and are all waiting for Julie and Luke in the kitchen.

“Hey, Julie!” They sing all at once as they walk in the front door. 

The sight of them is too amusing. Julie laughs while Luke scoffs. 

“I thought I told you guys to leave?”

“Hey now, don’t disrespect the help!” Alex says, turning on his heel back into the kitchen.

Now she’s intrigued. There’s some hip hop music playing softly from some hidden speaker, and someone’s phone is propped up. There’s a squad of five girls dancing in glittery clothes on the screen, probably the music video for whatever song is playing. 

Alex is right about the help, though. He’s holding a tray out to Luke with some fresh cut fruit and two glasses of iced tea. 

Reggie and Bobby stand off to the side and Alex is still behind the breakfast bar, all with bashful smiles. 

“Aw, thanks man!” Luke says, going over to the couch and setting the tray down on the coffee table. 

Still, the other three guys stand still, looking at Julie.

“Thanks for the snacks. It’s nice to see you again.”

They murmur agreements before Reggie and Bobby awkwardly excuse themselves out the door, Alex assuring them he’ll be out in a minute. 

As he grabs his phone from the counter, she catches a closer glimpse of what’s on his screen. 

“Hey, is that Dirty Candi?”

Alex stops mid step to look at her like she grew another head. “Yeah, it is! You’ve heard of ‘em?”

“Uh. yeah!” She settles for the short answer. 

“They’re fantastic, aren’t they?”

Julie isn’t a big fan of their music; she prefers rock better, but she can tell how much Alex likes them and it feels like treason to disagree.

“Yeah! What’s your favorite song? Mine is All Eyes on Me.” It really isn’t, but it’s the only one she can think of at the moment.

“No way, same! The choreography is impeccable. And their lead, Carrie Wilson, she’s just amazing.”

Luke clears his throat, and Alex looks back and mumbles a quick apology. He says bye to Julie and goes after Bobby and Reggie.

“Sorry about him. He’s a bit obsessed with Carrie Wilson. Says she and her dance troupe will get their big break soon.”

“They might,” Julie says, tucking that fact into the back of her mind.

“Here, you wanna watch a movie?”

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Luke holds her fingers like she’s royalty to guide her to the couch. She thinks it’s corny, but then again, a little cheesiness is needed in life. And he’s much too happy to do it, so she lets him do whatever he pleases. 

He sits down next to her, reaching behind her to grab the remote where it’s been thrown carelessly on top of the couch cushions. She’s painfully aware of how he tosses the remote to his other hand, leaving his arm limp behind her and he’s so close why is he so close? This is the coffee shop all over again. 

All his moves are so cheesy, it’s hard not to play along. Really, it’s out of pity, she tells herself. She leans into him a bit, just enough for him to drop his arm across her shoulders, fingers tracing idle shapes into her arm. 

And then he’s handing  _ her _ the remote. He’s already turned it on to Netflix. When’d he do that? Why is he letting her have the remote? That’s not movie date etiquette. Oh no, she’s gonna mess this up. He’s radiating so much heat. He’s like a space heater what the hell? Why does his body run this hot? She’s gonna choose a movie he hates and he’ll hate her and--

His arm retreats from around her and he’s leaning forward and she’s already ruined it. Great. She feels a little cold without him pressed against her side. 

“Hey, if you don't want to, it’s fine.” His eyes are gentle. He’s only got her in mind. God, she could kiss him. 

What.

“No, no, I want you.” She slips the remote into his far hand. And realises what she’s said. “... _ To _ … watch a movie. With me! Yep.”

Thankfully, he seems to give her the benefit of the doubt and resumes his earlier position, and she’s glad for it. Despite her heart running a mile a minute, her mind is void of everything except  _ warmth _ .

She’s not even sure what movie he chooses. His arms are safely around her and at some point her head landed on his chest, and the gentle beat of his heart under her ear is so soothing. Nothing else matters except the white noise of the TV and Luke. The sun is low in the sky, and she’s warm. So warm.

She blinks and it’s dark outside. How long has she been here? Luke’s arms are still holding her though, one hand is scratching her scalp, and this takes some of the edge off waking up somewhere unfamiliar.

“Musta been tired.” Luke whispers from somewhere above her head. He must have felt her flinch as she woke. 

Oh god. Did she wake him up? Or worse, was he awake the whole time and just let her sleep for who knows how long? Kill her now. No, she can do this. Just be cool. 

“Guess so. You make a good pillow.” 

His chest shakes a bit from under her, the low rumblings of a laugh reverberating through her.

“C’mon, should get you home.”

She knows she should get home. She knows she should let Luke go to bed; she has no idea what he has to do in the morning. But he’s just so warm.

“You sound tired.”

“I am.” He yawns and the way his chest expands, somehow even broader than his frame already is, makes her heart flutter. She yawns involuntarily after him. 

“Go to bed, ‘ll get ‘n Uber.” It’s hard to keep her eyes open. 

“No. If you’re going, I’m takin’ you.”

“Guess I’m not going then.”

“M’kay.”

What. 

Wait wait wait he did not just… is she staying over? She can barely even remember what she just said. Sleep is one hell of a drug. 

He must be more conscious than her, cause he stands up first, taking a moment to stretch before turning to her. Her hands burn as he grabs them, pulling her to her feet.

There’s not many words spoken after that. Or maybe there are. They must not be important because Julie can’t remember. She can only recall bits and pieces of where she’s been, can’t remember what the hallways look like or which door she’s walked into (did they go upstairs?). But Luke’s holding her hand (was he always holding her hand?) and leads her to a bed, pulls a shirt from the closet and says he’ll be back in a bit. 

Her mind is foggy. Where’d he go? Is the shirt for her? She’s got too many half-formed questions bumbling around in her head like fat, lazy bees. 

As quickly as her tired limbs will let her, she takes off her blouse and slips on the oversized band tee. It’s so long it almost reaches her knees, so she feels fine taking off her denim shorts. 

What now? No one prepares you for when you’re sitting on a guy’s bed at an ungodly hour, waiting for his arrival. 

He’s coming back, right?

She sits on the edge of the bed, hands on her knees and her mind is starting to clear. 

Flynn. Shit.

She scours the floor for where she’s thrown her shorts haphazardly and pulls out her phone, sending Flynn a quick text letting them know she’ll be spending the night and she’s safe. She knows she checked the time while she sent the message, but now she can’t remember what the hour is.

She thinks for a long moment before folding her blouse and shorts and that’s when Luke comes back, quietly, and looks surprised to see her.

“You okay?”

So they’re both at least a little bit more awake. Good. Good. Yep.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the shirt.”

She wishes she could see his face. How is she only noticing now that she hadn’t turned on a light? 

“Of course. Okay, I’ll be on the couch if you need me.”

Confusion settles in her mind again, and it’s not until he’s halfway out the door before his words click. 

“You’re sleeping on the couch?”

He stops, not meeting her eyes in the darkness. “Well, yeah.”

So first his money, and now his bed? Who does she think she is? Even if it’s only for one night. Making him sleep on his own couch… it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. 

“You don’t have to.”

His shoulders stiffen and for the longest moment she’s afraid she’s said the wrong thing. He turns and asks for confirmation. 

She’s not entirely sure herself, but she does know that she wouldn’t be able to sleep (or live with herself) if he’s in the cold living room for the night.

Finally her words cooperate with her mind. Those bumbling bees aren’t so lazy now. 

She doesn’t remember who gets in the bed first, probably him, but they resume their cuddle from the couch like they never separated at all. The sheets are cool, she shivers, but after a few minutes she’s warm and drowsy again. 

Idly, the back of her mind is wailing the sirens. She really shouldn’t be doing this. She’s not supposed to catch feelings, just spend time with him and get paid.

She’s not supposed to lead him on. Cuddling in his bed? That’s false hope. 

But for whom: him, or her?

He mumbles something that she can’t hear, presses a kiss to her hair, and hands going limp around her waist a few moments later as he falls asleep. 

Maybe, maybe, he said Goodnight, love.

(love)

* * * *

Usually, Julie wakes up all at once. What can she say, she’s a morning person. Now, however, alertness slips just out of reach. Eyelids are too heavy to get a clear view of where she is.

But she doesn’t need to see to know who she’s with. 

A yawn takes over her breath. When was the last time she’s slept so deeply? No matter how apeshit her moral compass is going, she can’t deny how nice it feels to wake up so rested. 

Luke stirs under her, not quite awake but on the brink. 

Julie can’t help but notice a difference. Tabloid photos, interviews, and performances all show Luke as a hot pessimist, always with a slight scowl on his face. Lately, as she’s gotten to know him, she’s noticed he’s quite giddy. Always bouncing on the balls of his feet, ready for adventure. 

Either way, he’s brash. He takes up space everywhere he is. Eyes are drawn his way and Julie’s sure he had this influence even before he rose to fame. But now? He’s so calm. Features so soft. 

If she wanted, she could trace the dip of his jaw with her fingertips. Or kiss his eyelids or rub her thumbs over his eyebrows. Instead she settles for running her hands through his hair. It’s easier to admit it while she’s sleepy, but she’s wanted to touch his hair for ages. It’s a little rougher than she’d imagined, but still soft and just long enough to scratch his scalp gently without pulling. 

He stirs again, eyes opening slowly, locking on hers. She’s been caught. Her fingers freeze in his hair unable to move. A lazy smile crawls across his face as he looks at her like she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him. His expression ingrains itself in her mind for the rest of time. And sends a painful jolt to her heart, but she can ignore that easier than she can ignore his eyes on her.

“Good morning,” she says simply, not knowing what else to say. Everything about their relationship is so different from what she knows. 

“Morning.” He says, finally looking away, opting to rub the sleep out of his eyes with the hand that’s not around her waist. He sounds like he’s swallowed a cup of rocks but Julie doesn't know if she’ll hear anything sweeter. 

No thoughts run through her mind as she kisses him. It’s quick and nervous, fueled by ignored feelings and the high of waking up in his arms. It can’t last more than a second, just a quick brush of her lips against his.

No one should be allowed to make important decisions while still in pajamas.

She’s afraid to open her eyes as she pulls away. She can’t bear to see the rejection in his eyes. Can’t bear to face her terrible decision. Suddenly she remembers her hands are still in his hair and jerks them away, eyes squeezing tighter. 

Her skin tingles as a hand cups her cheek. Her name falls from the lips she’s just violated and it’s all she can do not to run away. 

Slowly, just as softly as she did, his lips brush hers. Warmth blossoms in her chest at the mere thought of reciprocated feelings, her hands return to his hair. He breaks the kiss to smile and damn. Julie could wake up like this every day. 

“Julie?” He says again, voice a little clearer than before. Can he say her name again? Just once. 

“Yes?” Eyes still closed. What happens when she opens her eyes? What happens if she looks into his eyes now? 

“Please look at me.”

Well, okay.

However, looking into his eyes, glassy like the sea, oh so pretty, she’s filled with regret. 

Right. That’s what could happen when she looks into his eyes.

She could fall in love all over again.

He pulls her down just a bit to kiss her once more. She’s not complaining, but her mind is yelling at her to get away. She’s got to leave before she does something dumb. Well, before she can do something  _ else _ dumb. Like speak her mind. 

  
  


She pulls away; pecks him once, twice (she regrets leaving each time), and crawls out of the bed. With some distance between them, she’s already thinking a little clearer.

She’s not to blame, here. The setting was too intimate for a third date. It’s not her fault. Anyone else would have done the same thing. Who wouldn’t enjoy Luke Patterson’s company? 

Flynn. _ Shit! _

She grabs her phone from the nightstand and opens her messages only to be met with over twenty texts from Flynn. Most of them are just her name in all caps, ‘reminders’ to use protection and begging for details. 

She’s in the middle of typing a response when warm arms hug her from behind. There goes her train of thought. 

“Couldn’t stay away, hm?” She mumbles, ignoring his breath on her neck to finish the message. 

“Nope. Hungry?”

How is he so chill about this? Shouldn’t he be freaking out as much as she is? She wishes she could stop thinking sometimes. 

The memory of last night hits and she realizes they didn’t eat dinner. She’s hungry. Guess basic needs come second to love. Love. Love. Love.

“Just let me get dressed, I’ll be out in a second.”

Miraculously he picks up his cue to leave, leaving a kiss to her cheek and then he’s gone. She can breathe. 

**_Julie:_ ** _ just woke up. im fine and i’ll be home soon _

**_Julie:_ ** _ OMG OMG he was looking over my shoulder he's gone now WE KISSED _

**_Flynn:_ ** _ YES BITCH _

**_Flynn:_ ** _ get that bread _

Right. That’s what she’s here for. Money. That’s why he keeps her around. 

She lets her mind wander as she ties up the tee shirt and puts on her shorts. She feels dirty, like she’s slept with him instead of just literally slept. With him. What is wrong with her?

She can hear some clatter in the kitchen downstairs. Voices argue and steel clinks against marble. Her worries about getting lost dull as she steps out into the hallway and follows the voices. 

Apparently Luke hadn’t made it downstairs before her, because the rest of his roommates stop mid-action to gape at her coming down the stairs. 

Her steps slow as she takes in the sight of them. Alex, pan held up in the air as if he was about to swing it at someone. Bobby, carton of eggs held in hand, eyes wide. Reggie, holding a whisk and a bowl, and a grin she  _ thinks _ means bad news for her. 

“You’re still here.” Bobby says dumbly. Alex sets the pan down to slap his shoulder. 

“Morning!” Reggie pipes, setting down his utensils to meet her halfway, hand hovering over her back as he guides her to the breakfast bar. “How’d you sleep?”

“Slept fine.” Julie says quietly. She can’t handle all their eyes on her.

“Great, you made her uncomfortable, Bobby.” Alex whispers way too loudly.

Bobby rolls his eyes and opens the carton, starting to crack eggs into the bowl. 

“So,” Reggie begins, and she’s already dreading what he has to say. “Do you want pancakes?”

Oh. She should have known they wouldn’t pry. She’s only met them once, but they have a vibe that nearly everyone knows. They’re just too polite to be rockstars. And yet…

“Yeah, pancakes sound nice.”

Luke comes down not long after, pressing a kiss to her head while the guys pretend they don’t see it. They watch the three cook (see: bicker), holding hands under the bar and occasionally laughing with the rest.

It’s painfully domestic. 

“Oh, Bobby, can you get the syrup?” Luke asks as Alex serves them two plates of pancakes. 

“You want the syrup or The Syrup?”

“The Syrup.”

Alex and Reggie coo at Luke like he’s a baby who’s done something cute, and his cheeks turn a little pink as he tells them to shut up. 

Bobby gently sets an unmarked glass bottle of maple syrup in front of Julie. Her eyebrows raise in confusion and delight.

“What’s up with the syrup?” She asks, quite intrigued. She picks it up and tilts it a bit, watching the golden brown liquid inside slosh around. It’s a little runnier than she’s expecting.

“That’s Luke’s special syrup. We aren’t allowed to touch it.” Reggie says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“I go up to Canada once a year and make my own.” Luke explains. Bashully. Odd.

“No way, that’s so cool.” Julie says, suddenly a little breathless. She hopes it doesn’t show. 

His money. His bed. His syrup. 

He takes the bottle from her delicately and pours some over her plate before helping himself. Her heart swells again. It’s the little things.

And it’s delicious, she finds. Not as thick as store-bought. It soaks into the pancakes just the right amount and tastes like fresh maple and pine.

“Oh my god,” she mumbles, taking another bite and Luke beams with pride. 

Breakfast goes without much hitch afterwards. Luke lets her stay as long as she wants (which isn’t long. if she stays any longer she’ll never get to work on time. or at all). Sunset Curve bids her goodbye as Luke escorts her out the door and into his car.

Julie sees the trend. His hand is holding hers as soon as he’s settled in the driver’s seat, and he applies kisses to her knuckles liberally. Before, it made her heart flutter. Now she feels like she’s about to die. After too long and not long enough, they park in front of her building.

Julie turns in her seat, about to thank him for the date, when his lips find hers. His hand is on her face and she rests her hands on his arm, deepening the kiss. Admittedly, she likes kissing him better when they’re not both half-asleep. She’s glad for the tinted windows. 

She’s got something to say, but his lips chase hers every time she pulls away. Her words go left unsaid for a little while because everything else takes second place when she’s with him. But she has to get to work and as much as she likes sitting with him, she’s got things to do. 

She gently bites his bottom lip, and just like she’d thought, he’s smiling too wide to continue, quiet disbelieving chuckles filling the car. Their foreheads touch, noses brush. 

“Are you busy on Saturday?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHHH wow! her family is so supportive, even Carlos haha! at least now he knows who'll be funding his video games from now on...
> 
> and yes. juke cuddles was mandatory. also, i'm getting too comfy with the parenthesis but i just LOVE them. and the commas. i've said it once, and i'll say it again: im a comma slut. 
> 
> Also, writing this made me realise this is the first kiss i've really written in fic 👀 wowza
> 
> i have a tag list on tumblr if you want to be tagged when i post new stories! you can find that on my tumbles. come yell at me @sapphireamethystpatch <3


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